Method and apparatus for configuring presentation of service guides

ABSTRACT

An approach is provided for presenting service guides. A head-end platform generates a service guide fragment and inserts a tag into the service guide fragment to generate a modified service guide fragment. The head-end platform then causes, at least in part, transmission of the modified service guide fragment. A user equipment receives the service guide fragment and detects the tag in the service guide fragment. The user equipment then determines a transformation type based, at least in part, on the tag. The user equipment causes, at least in part, performing of the transformation and output of a transformed presentation.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the earlier filing dates under 35U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/176,702filed May 8, 2009, entitled “Method and Apparatus for ConfiguringPresentation of Service Guides,” the entirety of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Wireless (e.g., cellular) service providers and device manufacturers arecontinually challenged to deliver value and convenience to consumers by,for example, providing compelling network services, applications, andcontent, as well as user-friendly devices. Important differentiators inthis industry are application and network services. In particular, theseservices can include video and television applications including anelectronic service guide. Technology can be used to improvecompatibility and efficiency of electronic service guide informationusing user equipment including mobile devices.

SUMMARY

Therefore, there is a need for an approach for customizing electronicservice guides using a head-end system and various user equipment.

According to one embodiment, a method comprises generating a serviceguide fragment. The method also comprises inserting a tag into theservice guide fragment to generate a modified service guide fragment.The method further comprises causing, at least in part, transmission ofthe modified service guide fragment.

According to another embodiment, an apparatus comprising at least oneprocessor, and at least one memory including computer program code, theat least one memory and the computer program code configured to, withthe at least one processor, cause, at least in part, the apparatus togenerate a service guide fragment. The apparatus is also caused toinsert a tag into the service guide fragment to generate a modifiedservice guide fragment. The apparatus further causes, at least in part,transmission of the modified service guide fragment.

According to another embodiment, a computer-readable storage mediumcarrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, whenexecuted by one or more processors, cause, at least in part, anapparatus to generate a service guide fragment. The apparatus is alsocaused to insert a tag into the service guide fragment to generate amodified service guide fragment. The apparatus further causes, at leastin part, transmission of the modified service guide fragment.

According to another embodiment, an apparatus comprises means forgenerating a service guide fragment. The apparatus also comprises meansfor inserting a tag into the service guide fragment to generate amodified service guide fragment. The apparatus further comprises meansfor causing, at least in part, transmission of the modified serviceguide fragment.

According to another embodiment, a method comprises receiving a serviceguide fragment. The method also comprises detecting a tag in the serviceguide fragment. The method further comprises determining atransformation type based, at least in part, on the tag. The methodfurther comprises causing, at least in part, performing of thetransformation. The method further comprises causing, at least in part,outputting of a transformed presentation.

According to another embodiment, an apparatus comprising at least oneprocessor, and at least one memory including computer program code, theat least one memory and the computer program code configured to, withthe at least one processor, cause, at least in part, the apparatus toreceive a service guide fragment. The apparatus is also caused to detecta tag in the service guide fragment. The apparatus is further caused todetermine a transformation type based, at least in part, on the tag. Theapparatus is further caused to perform the transformation. The apparatusis further caused to output a transformed presentation.

According to another embodiment, a computer-readable storage mediumcarrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, whenexecuted by one or more processors, cause, at least in part, anapparatus to receive a service guide fragment. The apparatus is alsocaused to detect a tag in the service guide fragment. The apparatus isfurther caused to determine a transformation type based, at least inpart, on the tag. The apparatus is further caused to perform thetransformation. The apparatus is further caused to output a transformedpresentation.

According to yet another embodiment, an apparatus comprises means forreceiving a service guide fragment. The apparatus also comprises meansfor detecting a tag in the service guide fragment. The apparatus furthercomprises means for determining a transformation type based, at least inpart, on the tag. The apparatus further comprises means for causing, atleast in part, performing of the transformation. The apparatus furthercomprises means for causing, at least in part, outputting of atransformed presentation.

Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention arereadily apparent from the following detailed description, simply byillustrating a number of particular embodiments and implementations,including the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention. Theinvention is also capable of other and different embodiments, and itsseveral details can be modified in various obvious respects, all withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, thedrawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature,and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, andnot by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system capable of providing customizableservice guide data to a user equipment, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2A is a flowchart of a process for generating customizableelectronic service guide data, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2B is a flowchart of a processing electronic service guidefragments into a user readable format, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a process for generating and processingelectronic service guide data, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a process for processing electronic serviceguide data with identifiers, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a process for client-side processing ofelectronic service guide data, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a black box diagram of a process for transforming serviceguide fragments into user viewable media, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram of hardware that can be used to implement anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a chip set that can be used to implement anembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 9 is a diagram of a mobile station (e.g., handset) that can be usedto implement an embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A method and apparatus for improving the presentation of service guideinformation using a mobile device. In the following description, for thepurposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of theinvention. It is apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that theembodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specificdetails or with an equivalent arrangement. In other instances,well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form inorder to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments of the invention.

Although various embodiments are described with respect to mobiledevices and application services, it is contemplated that the approachdescribed herein may be used with other devices and applications.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system 100 capable of providing mediabroadcasts to user equipments, according to one embodiment. For thepurposes of illustration, the system 100 provides for media broadcasts,such as radio, television, streaming video, etc., on one or more userequipment (UEs 101 a-101 n, also collectively referred to as UEs 101).In one embodiment, a UE 101 receives and processes service guide dataalong with the broadcast. An electronic service guide (ESG) is a servicediscovery tool for client consumers (users) and for client applicationson a UE 101, such as a mobile terminal. The electronic service guide canprovide consumers with rich, up-to-date, information about services. Forexample, for sports broadcasts, a service guide data stream includesathlete information and for movie broadcasts, a service guide datastream includes actor or character information in addition to basicprogram information, such as start and end times. The electronic serviceguide also serves as mobile terminal middleware with signaling data toenable service lookup from a broadcast data stream and playback withcorrect client software and codecs. Additionally, electronic serviceguides can enable, for instance, a mobile television device toautomatically discover the service platforms and services available in ausage area and can prompt a user to make content purchases. Electronicservice guides also help content providers strengthen customer loyaltythrough brand imagery and trademark usage.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system comprises one or more user equipment(UEs) 101 a-101 n, having connectivity to a head-end platform 103 via acommunication network 105. Communications may include electronic serviceguide data, which according to some embodiments conform to the OpenMobile Alliance (OMA) Mobile Broadcast Services Enabler Suite (BCAST)standard, which is a global specification for mobile television andon-demand video services that can be adapted to Internet Protocol orpeer to peer contend delivery. The standard is designed to supportbroadcast technologies including Digital Video Broadcasting—Handheld(DVB-H), 3^(rd) Generation Partnership Program (3GPP)—MultimediaBroadcast Multicast Service (MBMS), 3^(rd) Generation PartnershipProgram 2 (3GPP2)—Broadcast and Multicast services (BCMCS), and mobileunicast streaming systems including, but not limited to, Wireless LAN(WLAN), WiMAX and cellular streaming. The standard uses an eXtensibleMarkup Language (XML) stack and service guide structures for electronicservice guides. The information contained in electronic service guidedata can be represented in a rich media format with minimal changes tothe standard. These media formats can be configurable for differentmobile devices as well as user preferences.

The UEs 101 are any type of mobile terminal, fixed terminal, or portableterminal including a mobile handset, station, unit, device, multimediacomputer, multimedia tablet, Internet node, communicator, desktopcomputer, laptop computer, notebook computer, netbook computer, tabletcomputer, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), audio/video player,digital camera/camcorder, positioning device, television receiver, radiobroadcast receiver, electronic book device, game device, or anycombination thereof, including the accessories and peripherals of thesedevices, or any combination thereof. It is also contemplated that the UE101 can support any type of interface to the user (such as “wearable”circuitry, etc.).

In one embodiment, the UEs 101 a-101 n execute respective broadcastapplications 107 a-107 n (also collectively referred to as broadcastapplications 107) running, for instance, under a BCAST standard. Thebroadcast application accepts and processes service guide (SG) fragments(e.g., SGs 109 a and 109 b, also collectively referred to as SGs 109)from the head-end platform 103. A user may use a device management tool(e.g., device management tools 111 a-111 n, also collectively referredto as device management tools 111) to configure the service guidepreferences on the UE 101. In one embodiment, the device management tool111 configures transformation documents to customize service guidepresentations.

A SG fragment 109, according to the BCAST embodiment, is in XML and canbe used to configure the presentation of an electronic service guide.Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT) documents can beprovided via a Device Management (DM) service as management objects orvia file delivery. XSLT documents can be used to transform the SGfragments 109 into a user viewable presentation. For instance, the XSLTdocuments can be used to enforce a particular representation of theservice guide, e.g., a generic default mode that is compatible with mostdevices. Additionally, XSLT documents can be used to map multipleservice guide fragments 109 without identifying those fragments 109 intoa single representation. Also, XSLT documents can be used for abroadcasting system to declare and a client device to identify arepresentation root document, which can be used to configure anelectronic service guide.

By way of example, the communication network 105 of the system 100includes one or more networks such as a data network (not shown), awireless network (not shown), a telephony network (not shown), or anycombination thereof. It is contemplated that the data network may be anylocal area network (LAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), wide areanetwork (WAN), a public data network (e.g., the Internet), short rangewireless network, or any other suitable packet-switched network, such asa commercially owned, proprietary packet-switched network, e.g., aproprietary cable or fiber-optic network, and the like, or anycombination thereof. In addition, the wireless network may be, forexample, a cellular network and may employ various technologiesincluding enhanced data rates for global evolution (EDGE), generalpacket radio service (GPRS), global system for mobile communications(GSM), Internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS), universal mobiletelecommunications system (UMTS), etc., as well as any other suitablewireless medium, e.g., worldwide interoperability for microwave access(WiMAX), Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks, code division multipleaccess (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), wirelessfidelity (WiFi), wireless LAN (WLAN), Bluetooth®, Internet Protocol (IP)data casting, satellite, mobile ad-hoc network (MANET), and the like, orany combination thereof.

In this example, the UEs 101 can communicate with the head-end platform103 over the communication network 105 using standard protocols. The UEs101 and the platform 103 are network nodes with respect to thecommunication network 105. In this context, a protocol includes a set ofrules defining how the network nodes within the communication networkinteract with each other based on information sent over thecommunication links. The protocols are effective at different layers ofoperation within each node, from generating and receiving physicalsignals of various types, to selecting a link for transferring thosesignals, to the format of information indicated by those signals, toidentifying which software application executing on a computer systemsends or receives the information. The conceptually different layers ofprotocols for exchanging information over a network are described in theOpen Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model.

Communications between the network nodes are effected, for example, byexchanging discrete packets of data. Each packet comprises, for example,(1) header information associated with a particular protocol, and (2)payload information that follows the header information and containsinformation that may be processed independently of that particularprotocol. In some protocols, the packet includes (3) trailer informationfollowing the payload and indicating the end of the payload information.The header includes information such as the source of the packet, itsdestination, the length of the payload, and other properties used by theprotocol. Often, the data in the payload for the particular protocolincludes a header and payload for a different protocol associated with adifferent, higher layer of the OSI Reference Model. The header for aparticular protocol indicates, for example, a type for the next protocolcontained in its payload. The higher layer protocol is said to beencapsulated in the lower layer protocol. The headers included in apacket traversing multiple heterogeneous networks, such as the Internet,include, for example, a physical (layer 1) header, a data-link (layer 2)header, an internetwork (layer 3) header and a transport (layer 4)header, and various application headers (layer 5, layer 6 and layer 7)as defined by the OSI Reference Model.

According to one embodiment, the head-end platform 103 includes aservice manager 113, an account manager 115, and an encapsulator 117. Inthis example, the head-end platform 103 utilizes a broadcast mechanismto deliver ESGs, and thus, the service manager 113, account manager 115and encapsulator 117 can as be referred to as a broadcast servicemanager, broadcast account manager, and broadcast encapsulator,respectively. It is contemplated that other delivery mechanisms can beutilized. In one embodiment, a content provider 119 can provideinformation to the head-end platform 103 service and content informationvia a channel. By way of example, the channel can be scrambled orencrypted for security purposes and decryption codes can be sent aswell. The service manager 113 can process the content provider'sinformation feed. According to one embodiment, the service manager 113can control encapsulation, multicast routing, encryption, electronicservice guide generation, and digital rights management. The servicemanager 113 sends processed content provider data to an encapsulator 117that can take the information streams produced by a broadcast servicemanager 113 and encapsulate them into a format that a UE 101 canprocess. For example, the broadcast service manager 113 can process acontent provider service guide data stream into XML-based SG fragments109 that a UE 101 can process. A broadcast encapsulator 117 can thentransmit the encapsulated information feed to UEs 101 via a broadcastnetwork such as the DVB-H network or a 3GPP network. The data can betransmitted, for example, through an asynchronous serial interface.

In one embodiment, a broadcast account manager 115 receives UE 101purchase information and other usage data via a communication network105 and sends the data to a broadcast service manager 113. In additionor alternatively, the broadcast service manager 113 can also receiveusage data directly from a UE 101. In certain embodiments, a ContentManagement Licensing Administrator (CMLA) or similar service is used toaccount for data rights management while a billing mechanism such as amobile phone or credit card service may be used to charge the user forservices, such as subscriptions or pay per view purchased on a UE 101.Some broadcast services may also be offered as clear-to-air.Additionally, advertisements can be utilized as a payment mechanism byallowing the user to choose an electronic service guide advertisement asthe payment method.

FIG. 2A is a flowchart of a process for generating customizableelectronic service guide data, according to one embodiment. In oneembodiment, the head-end platform 103 or one or more components of thehead-end platform 103 performs the process 200. Initially at step 201, aSG fragment 109 is generated at the head-end system 103. The broadcastservice manager 113 generates a service guide stream by processing thecontent provider 119 data stream and creates the SG fragments 109 bycontrolling the broadcast encapsulator 117. At step 203, the head-endplatform 103 inserts a tag into one or more SG fragments 109. The tagidentifies a transformation that can transform the service guidefragment 109 or a group of fragments 109 into a user viewable format. Inone embodiment, the tag can be an element just after the starting tag ofthe service guide fragment 109. Once the SG fragments 109 are generatedand tagged, the head-end platform 103 initiates a transmission of themodified SG fragments 109 to UEs 101.

FIG. 2B is a flowchart of a processing electronic service guidefragments into a user readable format, according to one embodiment. Inone embodiment, the UE 101 or a component of the UE 101 (e.g., anapplication 107) performs the process 220. At step 221, the UE 101receives a SG fragment 109 and detects if the SG fragment 109 has a tag.In one embodiment, the UE 101 can identify a tag using an identifier(e.g., an assistance identifier) or by using globally agreed toparameters. Once the tagged SG fragment 109 is identified, the UE 101determines which transformation or transformation type to use based, atleast in part, on the tag (step 223). The transformation to be used isthen located and used for processing (step 225). Other SG fragments 109found, for instance, by associated universal resource identifier (URI)and/or universal resource locator (URL) information are used as theinput to the transformation. In one embodiment, the other SG fragments109 comprise the presentation on which the transformation is to beapplied. In step 227, the transformation is performed and a transformedpresentation is outputted. In one embodiment, the transformation can bedifferent for different UEs 101, giving the user the ability tocustomize the user's media. The UE 101 can then render outputted datafor the user.

Under the above approach, a user can customize the service guidefeatures. Additionally, a user (operator or content provider) can selectand/or control a presentation format among a number of representationsby changing the transformation. This process can also be used to enabledifferent devices to render the service guide content in a customizedway with minimal changes to existing service guide fragments and withminimal replication of service guide fragments.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a process for a configurable electronic serviceguide, according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, the head-endplatform 103, one or more components of the head-end platform 103, a UE101, one or more components of the UE 101, or a combination thereofperform the process 300. At step 301, a head-end platform 103 generatesservice guide fragments 109 using a broadcast service manager 113 and abroadcast encapsulator 117. A broadcast service manager 113 can receivecontent information from a content provider 119 to generate serviceguide data based on the content information. Service guide datagenerated can adhere to various specifications such as the OMA BCASTservice guide structure. The head-end platform 103 can thus format theservice guide data into a format that can be read by a UE 101. In step303, when generating service guide fragments 109 from the service guideinformation, the broadcast encapsulator 117 tags a selection of serviceguide fragments 109 with an XSLT tag. Alternatively, the head-endplatform 103 can create a dummy service guide fragment that contains anXSLT tag (step 305). The XSLT tag can include an element such as“<?xml-stylesheet type=“text/xsl” href=“transform.xsl”?>” just after thestarting tag “<?xml version=“1.0”?>” of the service guide fragment 109.The selection of service guide fragments 109 can be, for example, allservice fragments 109, one service fragment 109 per operator, allscheduled fragments 109, one fragment 109 of each kind, etc, orcombination of selected service fragments 109. The head-end platform 103can then deliver or otherwise cause transmission of the service guidefragments to UEs 101 (step 307).

At step 309, a UE 101 receives and processes the service guide fragments109 sent by the head-end platform 109. The UE 101 then accesses andprocesses the XSLT tagged fragments 109. The UE 101 can retrieve theXSLT file that is indicated by the “href” attribute in the fragment(step 311). For example, the target of “href” can be named aslocalhost://oma-dm-controlled-transform.xsl. The UE 101 then appliesXSLT processing using, for instance, the retrieved XSLT file as atransformation and the current fragment 109 as the input file (step313). If a dummy file is used, it will point to the XSLT file, whichcould be used as the transformation thereafter while the currentfragment inputs change. The XSLT file can source a number of fragments109 together by using the XSLT built-in function document ( ). Thedocument ( ) function takes a uniform resource identifier (URI) as inputdefining the file to use as the source. The UE 101 can choose whichfragments to transform in the XSLT and whether to use interactiveretrieval formats, such as the OMA BCAST interactive retrieval ofservice guide fragments URI-format. An example of using the OMA BCASTinteractive retrieval of service guide fragments URI-format is shown inTable 1 below. Table 1 describes an example XSLT transformation thatuses multiple source fragments 109 and selects the fragments 109indirectly using the OMA BCAST interactive SG delivery URI format.Additionally, the URI can be any other URI or Uniform Resource Locator(URL) that is resolved to a service guide fragment 109 resource such asan XML document, a File Delivery over Unidirectional Transport (FLUTE)URL, or a Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) URL.

TABLE 1 <xsl:stylesheet xmlns:xsl=″http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform“version=″1.0″> <xsl:output method=″xml″/> <xsl:templatematch=“fragment″> <fragment> <xsl:apply-templatesselect=″document(‘localhost://internalSgServer?fragmentType=2′)″/><xsl:apply-templates/> <xsl:apply-templatesselect=″document(‘localhost://internalSgServer?validTo=345276698′)″/><xsl:apply-templates/> </fragment> </xsl:template> </xsl:stylesheet>

In one embodiment, a local transform.xsl identifies the filename of thetransformation to be used. It can be defined and varied by the sender ofthe service guide or it can be globally agreed to point to a certainname. For example, the target of “href” can be named aslocalhost://oma-dm-controlled-transform.xsl. In this example, all XSLTdeclarations would have exactly the same string. A device managementtool 111 on each UE 101 or another means of configuring files andparameters on the UE 101 can be used to define the content for the fileaddressed by localhost://oma-dm-controlled-transform.xsl. This could bedifferent for each UE 101. For example, one UE 101 can set a preferenceto have the service guide color red, while another UE 101 selects blue.Additionally, a UE 101 can have separate characteristics for eachprogramming channel. Also, a content provider could choose to customizeits service guide operations with the provider's colors or trademark.Certain UEs 101 may have additional functionality that can be utilizedthat other UEs 101 cannot; a user can have the option to turn thesefunctions on.

Once the service guides are processed, the output (step 315), as shownin FIG. 6, can be a default directory-like tree or service, schedule,and content model, an Extensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML) file,or scalable vector graphics (SVG) file that can be rendered in a webbrowser or SVG player on the UE. Additionally, the output can havemultiple parts, for instance, one part defining Session DescriptionProtocol (SDP) formatted entry to a Rich Media Environment (RME) orDynamic Interactive Multimedia Scenes (DIMS) stream and another partrepresenting the initial SVG scene to be rendered. Thus, a first UE 101can render service guide fragments, their elements, and attributes andwhat those represent according to a predefined representation, while asecond UE 101 can render the same fragments as an XHTML web pagerepresentation, or mobile optimized web page, and a third UE can renderthe same fragments as a SVG, Flash, Flash Lite, or other rich mediarepresentation.

Under the above approach, a user can customize the service guidefeatures. Additionally, a user (operator or content provider) can selectand/or control a presentation format among a number of representations.This process can also be used to enable different devices to render theservice guide content in a customized way with minimal changes toexisting service guide fragments and with minimal replication of serviceguide fragments.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a process for a configurable electronic serviceguide with identifier assistance, according to one embodiment. In oneembodiment, the head-end platform 103, one or more components of thehead-end platform 103, a UE 101, one or more components of the UE 101,or a combination thereof perform the process 400. In the process 400,the head-end platform 103 can provide assistance to a UE 101 to identifyservice guide fragments 109 tagged with an XSLT tag. A step 401, thehead-end platform 103 receives and/or generates tagged service guidefragments according to the processes described previously. Next, anassistance identifier or other identifier can be added to the serviceguide fragments 109 to identify tagged or modified service guidefragments 109 (step 403). For example, for an OMA BCAST configuration,new information can be included in a Service Guide Delivery Descriptor(SGDD). A SGDD is transported on a Service Guide Announcement Channeland informs a UE 101 of availability, metadata, and grouping of thefragments 109 of the service guide during the service guide deliveryprocess. A UE 101 can identify service guide fragments 109 that areeither cached in the UE 101 or currently being transmitted. The SGDD canprovide the grouping of related service guide fragments 109 and thus ameans to determine the completeness of the group. An SGDD“RepresentationRoot” E1 element can be added in the SGDD. The elementcan contain for example a fragment identification of the fragment 109that carries a dummy service guide fragment that contains an XSLTtransformation tag. Alternatively, an SGDD E4 element or attribute“HasXsItTag” with a Boolean value under an E3 element fragment can beadded to signal that the current fragment 109 contains the XSLT tag. Theservice guide fragments 109 can then be delivered to UEs 101 (step 405).

A UE 101 can then receive service guide fragments 109 with identifierassistance. If an identifier is provided, the UE 101 attempts to findthe tags identified using a known identification mechanism (step 407).If the UE 101 finds the assisting tags, the UE 101 searches for andaccesses the fragments 109 that were tagged to contain the XSLTtransformation tag (step 409). The UE 101 then retrieves the XSLT fileindicated by, for instance, the “href” attribute of the tag (step 411).Once the XSLT tag is retrieved, the tag and service guide fragments 109can be processed as noted above (step 413) and outputs thetransformation or a corresponding transformed presentation to the UE 101(step 415).

Under the above approach, customized electronic service guide displayscan be achieved with minimal modification of existing OMA BCAST or othermobile broadcasting standards. This also provides compatibility betweendifferent UEs 101 and between different generations of UEs 101.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a process for client-side processing ofelectronic service guide data, according to one embodiment. In oneembodiment, the head-end platform 103, one or more components of thehead-end platform 103, a UE 101, one or more components of the UE 101,or a combination thereof perform the process 400. In the approachdescribed herein, a UE 101 can receive and process service guidefragments 109 with or without tags. As shown, in one embodiment, XLSTProcessing 501 comprises a processing step 503 and a processing step505. In this example, processing step 503 determines if a service guidefragment 507 has a tag. The tag can point to or otherwise identify anXSLT document 509 that contains a transformation to process the serviceguide information. The XSLT document 509 can identify other SG fragments511 used in the processing process. Other SG fragments 513 can beindirectly identified using, for instance, an interactive service guideURL. An example would be using the OMA BCAST interactive retrieval ofservice guide fragments URI-format as shown in Table 1 above.Additionally, the URI can be any other URI or Uniform Resource Locator(URL) that is resolved via an XML fetcher 515 to a service guidefragment resource such as an XML document, a File Delivery overUnidirectional Transport (FLUTE) URL, or a Hypertext Transport Protocol(HTTP) URL. The interactive SG URLS can then be resolved into completeXML documents 517 (e.g., indirectly resolved service guide fragmentsresolved as real or concrete XML documents) to be used in processingstep 505.

In processing step 505, these identified SG fragments and XML documentsare transformation inputs, and the XSLT document is the transformationthat is to be used to process the SG fragments into a presentation 519that can be rendered by a UE 101.

FIG. 6 is a black box diagram of a process for transforming serviceguide fragments into user viewable media, according to one embodiment.As shown in FIG. 6, SG fragments 601 a-601 n and their included elementsand attributes can be processed based on the transformation 603 (e.g.,XSLT) defined in a tag of one or more of the fragments 601 a-601 n. Inone embodiment, the output of the processing can be a defaultdirectory-like tree or service, schedule, and content model 605; anExtensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML) file 607, or rich media 609(e.g., scalable vector graphics (SVG) file) that can be rendered in aweb browser or media player (e.g., SVG player) on the UE 101.Additionally, the output can have multiple parts, for instance, one partdefining Session Description Protocol (SDP) formatted entry to a RichMedia Environment (RME) or Dynamic Interactive Multimedia Scenes (DIMS)stream and another part representing the initial SVG scene to berendered. Thus, a first UE 101 can render service guide fragments 601a-601 n, their elements, and attributes and what those representaccording to a predefined default representation, while a second UE 101can render the same fragments 601 a-601 n as an XHTML web pagerepresentation, or mobile optimized web page, and a third UE 101 canrender the same fragments 601 a-601 n as a SVG, Flash, Flash Lite, orother rich media representation.

The processes described herein for providing service guidetransformations for these applications may be implemented via software,hardware, e.g., general processor, Digital Signal Processing (DSP) chip,an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field ProgrammableGate Arrays (FPGAs), etc., firmware or a combination thereof. Suchexemplary hardware for performing the described functions is detailedbelow.

FIG. 7 illustrates a computer system 700 upon which an embodiment of theinvention may be implemented. Although computer system 700 is depictedwith respect to a particular device or equipment, it is contemplatedthat other devices or equipment (e.g., network elements, servers, etc.)within FIG. 7 can deploy the illustrated hardware and components ofsystem 700. Computer system 700 is programmed (e.g., via computerprogram code or instructions) to provide service guide transformationsas described herein and includes a communication mechanism such as a bus710 for passing information between other internal and externalcomponents of the computer system 700. Information (also called data) isrepresented as a physical expression of a measurable phenomenon,typically electric voltages, but including, in other embodiments, suchphenomena as magnetic, electromagnetic, pressure, chemical, biological,molecular, atomic, sub-atomic and quantum interactions. For example,north and south magnetic fields, or a zero and non-zero electricvoltage, represent two states (0, 1) of a binary digit (bit). Otherphenomena can represent digits of a higher base. A superposition ofmultiple simultaneous quantum states before measurement represents aquantum bit (qubit). A sequence of one or more digits constitutesdigital data that is used to represent a number or code for a character.In some embodiments, information called analog data is represented by anear continuum of measurable values within a particular range. Computersystem 700, or a portion thereof, constitutes a means for performing oneor more steps of providing service guide transformations.

A bus 710 includes one or more parallel conductors of information sothat information is transferred quickly among devices coupled to the bus710. One or more processors 702 for processing information are coupledwith the bus 710.

A processor (or multiple processors) 702 performs a set of operations oninformation as specified by computer program code related to provideservice guide transformations. The computer program code is a set ofinstructions or statements providing instructions for the operation ofthe processor and/or the computer system to perform specified functions.The code, for example, may be written in a computer programming languagethat is compiled into a native instruction set of the processor. Thecode may also be written directly using the native instruction set(e.g., machine language). The set of operations include bringinginformation in from the bus 710 and placing information on the bus 710.The set of operations also typically include comparing two or more unitsof information, shifting positions of units of information, andcombining two or more units of information, such as by addition ormultiplication or logical operations like OR, exclusive OR (XOR), andAND. Each operation of the set of operations that can be performed bythe processor is represented to the processor by information calledinstructions, such as an operation code of one or more digits. Asequence of operations to be executed by the processor 702, such as asequence of operation codes, constitute processor instructions, alsocalled computer system instructions or, simply, computer instructions.Processors may be implemented as mechanical, electrical, magnetic,optical, chemical or quantum components, among others, alone or incombination.

Computer system 700 also includes a memory 704 coupled to bus 710. Thememory 704, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamicstorage device, stores information including processor instructions forproviding service guide transformations. Dynamic memory allowsinformation stored therein to be changed by the computer system 700. RAMallows a unit of information stored at a location called a memoryaddress to be stored and retrieved independently of information atneighboring addresses. The memory 704 is also used by the processor 702to store temporary values during execution of processor instructions.The computer system 700 also includes a read only memory (ROM) 706 orother static storage device coupled to the bus 710 for storing staticinformation, including instructions, that is not changed by the computersystem 700. Some memory is composed of volatile storage that loses theinformation stored thereon when power is lost. Also coupled to bus 710is a non-volatile (persistent) storage device 708, such as a magneticdisk, optical disk or flash card, for storing information, includinginstructions, that persists even when the computer system 700 is turnedoff or otherwise loses power.

Information, including instructions for providing service guidetransformations, is provided to the bus 710 for use by the processorfrom an external input device 712, such as a keyboard containingalphanumeric keys operated by a human user, or a sensor. A sensordetects conditions in its vicinity and transforms those detections intophysical expression compatible with the measurable phenomenon used torepresent information in computer system 700. Other external devicescoupled to bus 710, used primarily for interacting with humans, includea display device 714, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquidcrystal display (LCD), or plasma screen or printer for presenting textor images, and a pointing device 716, such as a mouse or a trackball orcursor direction keys, or motion sensor, for controlling a position of asmall cursor image presented on the display 714 and issuing commandsassociated with graphical elements presented on the display 714. In someembodiments, for example, in embodiments in which the computer system700 performs all functions automatically without human input, one ormore of external input device 712, display device 714 and pointingdevice 716 is omitted.

In the illustrated embodiment, special purpose hardware, such as anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 720, is coupled to bus710. The special purpose hardware is configured to perform operationsnot performed by processor 702 quickly enough for special purposes.Examples of application specific ICs include graphics accelerator cardsfor generating images for display 714, cryptographic boards forencrypting and decrypting messages sent over a network, speechrecognition, and interfaces to special external devices, such as roboticarms and medical scanning equipment that repeatedly perform some complexsequence of operations that are more efficiently implemented inhardware.

Computer system 700 also includes one or more instances of acommunications interface 770 coupled to bus 710. Communication interface770 provides a one-way or two-way communication coupling to a variety ofexternal devices that operate with their own processors, such asprinters, scanners and external disks. In general the coupling is with anetwork link 778 that is connected to a local network 780 to which avariety of external devices with their own processors are connected. Forexample, communication interface 770 may be a parallel port or a serialport or a universal serial bus (USB) port on a personal computer. Insome embodiments, communications interface 770 is an integrated servicesdigital network (ISDN) card or a digital subscriber line (DSL) card or atelephone modem that provides an information communication connection toa corresponding type of telephone line. In some embodiments, acommunication interface 770 is a cable modem that converts signals onbus 710 into signals for a communication connection over a coaxial cableor into optical signals for a communication connection over a fiberoptic cable. As another example, communications interface 770 may be alocal area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connectionto a compatible LAN, such as Ethernet. Wireless links may also beimplemented. For wireless links, the communications interface 770 sendsor receives or both sends and receives electrical, acoustic orelectromagnetic signals, including infrared and optical signals, thatcarry information streams, such as digital data. For example, inwireless handheld devices, such as mobile telephones like cell phones,the communications interface 770 includes a radio band electromagnetictransmitter and receiver called a radio transceiver. In certainembodiments, the communications interface 770 enables connection to thecommunication network 105 for providing service guide transformations tothe UE 101.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to any mediumthat participates in providing information to processor 702, includinginstructions for execution. Such a medium may take many forms,including, but not limited to computer-readable storage medium (e.g.,non-volatile media, volatile media), and transmission media.Non-transitory media, such as non-volatile media, include, for example,optical or magnetic disks, such as storage device 708. Volatile mediainclude, for example, dynamic memory 704. Transmission media include,for example, coaxial cables, copper wire, fiber optic cables, andcarrier waves that travel through space without wires or cables, such asacoustic waves and electromagnetic waves, including radio, optical andinfrared waves. Signals include man-made transient variations inamplitude, frequency, phase, polarization or other physical propertiestransmitted through the transmission media. Common forms ofcomputer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexibledisk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM,CDRW, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, opticalmark sheets, any other physical medium with patterns of holes or otheroptically recognizable indicia, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM,any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave, or any other mediumfrom which a computer can read. The term computer-readable storagemedium is used herein to refer to any computer-readable medium excepttransmission media.

Logic encoded in one or more tangible media includes one or both ofprocessor instructions on a computer-readable storage media and specialpurpose hardware, such as ASIC 720.

Network link 778 typically provides information communication usingtransmission media through one or more networks to other devices thatuse or process the information. For example, network link 778 mayprovide a connection through local network 780 to a host computer 782 orto equipment 784 operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP). ISPequipment 784 in turn provides data communication services through thepublic, world-wide packet-switching communication network of networksnow commonly referred to as the Internet 790.

A computer called a server host 792 connected to the Internet hosts aprocess that provides a service in response to information received overthe Internet. For example, server host 792 hosts a process that providesinformation representing video data for presentation at display 714. Itis contemplated that the components of system 700 can be deployed invarious configurations within other computer systems, e.g., host 782 andserver 792.

At least some embodiments of the invention are related to the use ofcomputer system 700 for implementing some or all of the techniquesdescribed herein. According to one embodiment of the invention, thosetechniques are performed by computer system 700 in response to processor702 executing one or more sequences of one or more processorinstructions contained in memory 704. Such instructions, also calledcomputer instructions, software and program code, may be read intomemory 704 from another computer-readable medium such as storage device708 or network link 778. Execution of the sequences of instructionscontained in memory 704 causes processor 702 to perform one or more ofthe method steps described herein. In alternative embodiments, hardware,such as ASIC 720, may be used in place of or in combination withsoftware to implement the invention. Thus, embodiments of the inventionare not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software,unless otherwise explicitly stated herein.

The signals transmitted over network link 778 and other networks throughcommunications interface 770, carry information to and from computersystem 700. Computer system 700 can send and receive information,including program code, through the networks 780, 790 among others,through network link 778 and communications interface 770. In an exampleusing the Internet 790, a server host 792 transmits program code for aparticular application, requested by a message sent from computer 700,through Internet 790, ISP equipment 784, local network 780 andcommunications interface 770. The received code may be executed byprocessor 702 as it is received, or may be stored in memory 704 or instorage device 708 or other non-volatile storage for later execution, orboth. In this manner, computer system 700 may obtain application programcode in the form of signals on a carrier wave.

Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying oneor more sequence of instructions or data or both to processor 702 forexecution. For example, instructions and data may initially be carriedon a magnetic disk of a remote computer such as host 782. The remotecomputer loads the instructions and data into its dynamic memory andsends the instructions and data over a telephone line using a modem. Amodem local to the computer system 700 receives the instructions anddata on a telephone line and uses an infra-red transmitter to convertthe instructions and data to a signal on an infra-red carrier waveserving as the network link 778. An infrared detector serving ascommunications interface 770 receives the instructions and data carriedin the infrared signal and places information representing theinstructions and data onto bus 710. Bus 710 carries the information tomemory 704 from which processor 702 retrieves and executes theinstructions using some of the data sent with the instructions. Theinstructions and data received in memory 704 may optionally be stored onstorage device 708, either before or after execution by the processor702.

FIG. 8 illustrates a chip set or chip 800 upon which an embodiment ofthe invention may be implemented. Chip set 800 is programmed to provideservice guide transformations as described herein and includes, forinstance, the processor and memory components described with respect toFIG. 7 incorporated in one or more physical packages (e.g., chips). Byway of example, a physical package includes an arrangement of one ormore materials, components, and/or wires on a structural assembly (e.g.,a baseboard) to provide one or more characteristics such as physicalstrength, conservation of size, and/or limitation of electricalinteraction. It is contemplated that in certain embodiments the chip set800 can be implemented in a single chip. It is further contemplated thatin certain embodiments the chip set or chip 800 can be implemented as asingle “system on a chip.” It is further contemplated that in certainembodiments a separate ASIC would not be used, for example, and that allrelevant functions as disclosed herein would be performed by a processoror processors. Chip set or chip 800, or a portion thereof, constitutes ameans for performing one or more steps of providing user interfacenavigation information associated with the availability of services.Chip set or chip 800, or a portion thereof, constitutes a means forperforming one or more steps of providing service guide transformations.

In one embodiment, the chip set or chip 800 includes a communicationmechanism such as a bus 801 for passing information among the componentsof the chip set 800. A processor 803 has connectivity to the bus 801 toexecute instructions and process information stored in, for example, amemory 805. The processor 803 may include one or more processing coreswith each core configured to perform independently. A multi-coreprocessor enables multiprocessing within a single physical package.Examples of a multi-core processor include two, four, eight, or greaternumbers of processing cores. Alternatively or in addition, the processor803 may include one or more microprocessors configured in tandem via thebus 801 to enable independent execution of instructions, pipelining, andmultithreading. The processor 803 may also be accompanied with one ormore specialized components to perform certain processing functions andtasks such as one or more digital signal processors (DSP) 807, or one ormore application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) 809. A DSP 807typically is configured to process real-world signals (e.g., sound) inreal time independently of the processor 803. Similarly, an ASIC 809 canbe configured to performed specialized functions not easily performed bya more general purpose processor. Other specialized components to aid inperforming the inventive functions described herein may include one ormore field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) (not shown), one or morecontrollers (not shown), or one or more other special-purpose computerchips.

In one embodiment, the chip set or chip 800 includes merely one or moreprocessors and some software and/or firmware supporting and/or relatingto and/or for the one or more processors.

The processor 803 and accompanying components have connectivity to thememory 805 via the bus 801. The memory 805 includes both dynamic memory(e.g., RAM, magnetic disk, writable optical disk, etc.) and staticmemory (e.g., ROM, CD-ROM, etc.) for storing executable instructionsthat when executed perform the inventive steps described herein toprovide service guide transformations. The memory 805 also stores thedata associated with or generated by the execution of the inventivesteps.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of exemplary components of a mobile terminal (e.g.,handset) for communications, which is capable of operating in the systemof FIG. 1, according to one embodiment. In some embodiments, mobileterminal 900, or a portion thereof, constitutes a means for performingone or more steps of providing service guide transformations. Generally,a radio receiver is often defined in terms of front-end and back-endcharacteristics. The front-end of the receiver encompasses all of theRadio Frequency (RF) circuitry whereas the back-end encompasses all ofthe base-band processing circuitry. As used in this application, theterm “circuitry” refers to both: (1) hardware-only implementations (suchas implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry), and (2) tocombinations of circuitry and software (and/or firmware) (such as, ifapplicable to the particular context, to a combination of processor(s),including digital signal processor(s), software, and memory(ies) thatwork together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server,to perform various functions). This definition of “circuitry” applies toall uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As afurther example, as used in this application and if applicable to theparticular context, the term “circuitry” would also cover animplementation of merely a processor (or multiple processors) and its(or their) accompanying software/or firmware. The term “circuitry” wouldalso cover if applicable to the particular context, for example, abaseband integrated circuit or applications processor integrated circuitin a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a cellular networkdevice or other network devices.

Pertinent internal components of the telephone include a Main ControlUnit (MCU) 903, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) 905, and areceiver/transmitter unit including a microphone gain control unit and aspeaker gain control unit. A main display unit 907 provides a display tothe user in support of various applications and mobile terminalfunctions that perform or support the steps of providing service guidetransformations. The display 9 includes display circuitry configured todisplay at least a portion of a user interface of the mobile terminal(e.g., mobile telephone). Additionally, the display 907 and displaycircuitry are configured to facilitate user control of at least somefunctions of the mobile terminal. An audio function circuitry 909includes a microphone 911 and microphone amplifier that amplifies thespeech signal output from the microphone 911. The amplified speechsignal output from the microphone 911 is fed to a coder/decoder (CODEC)913.

A radio section 915 amplifies power and converts frequency in order tocommunicate with a base station, which is included in a mobilecommunication system, via antenna 917. The power amplifier (PA) 919 andthe transmitter/modulation circuitry are operationally responsive to theMCU 903, with an output from the PA 919 coupled to the duplexer 921 orcirculator or antenna switch, as known in the art. The PA 919 alsocouples to a battery interface and power control unit 920.

In use, a user of mobile terminal 901 speaks into the microphone 911 andhis or her voice along with any detected background noise is convertedinto an analog voltage. The analog voltage is then converted into adigital signal through the Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) 923. Thecontrol unit 903 routes the digital signal into the DSP 905 forprocessing therein, such as speech encoding, channel encoding,encrypting, and interleaving. In one embodiment, the processed voicesignals are encoded, by units not separately shown, using a cellulartransmission protocol such as global evolution (EDGE), general packetradio service (GPRS), global system for mobile communications (GSM),Internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS), universal mobiletelecommunications system (UMTS), etc., as well as any other suitablewireless medium, e.g., microwave access (WiMAX), Long Term Evolution(LTE) networks, code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband codedivision multiple access (WCDMA), wireless fidelity (WiFi), satellite,and the like.

The encoded signals are then routed to an equalizer 925 for compensationof any frequency-dependent impairments that occur during transmissionthough the air such as phase and amplitude distortion. After equalizingthe bit stream, the modulator 927 combines the signal with a RF signalgenerated in the RF interface 929. The modulator 927 generates a sinewave by way of frequency or phase modulation. In order to prepare thesignal for transmission, an up-converter 931 combines the sine waveoutput from the modulator 927 with another sine wave generated by asynthesizer 933 to achieve the desired frequency of transmission. Thesignal is then sent through a PA 919 to increase the signal to anappropriate power level. In practical systems, the PA 919 acts as avariable gain amplifier whose gain is controlled by the DSP 905 frominformation received from a network base station. The signal is thenfiltered within the duplexer 921 and optionally sent to an antennacoupler 935 to match impedances to provide maximum power transfer.Finally, the signal is transmitted via antenna 917 to a local basestation. An automatic gain control (AGC) can be supplied to control thegain of the final stages of the receiver. The signals may be forwardedfrom there to a remote telephone which may be another cellulartelephone, other mobile phone or a land-line connected to a PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN), or other telephony networks.

Voice signals transmitted to the mobile terminal 901 are received viaantenna 917 and immediately amplified by a low noise amplifier (LNA)937. A down-converter 939 lowers the carrier frequency while thedemodulator 941 strips away the RF leaving only a digital bit stream.The signal then goes through the equalizer 925 and is processed by theDSP 905. A Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) 943 converts the signal andthe resulting output is transmitted to the user through the speaker 945,all under control of a Main Control Unit (MCU) 903—which can beimplemented as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) (not shown).

The MCU 903 receives various signals including input signals from thekeyboard 947. The keyboard 947 and/or the MCU 903 in combination withother user input components (e.g., the microphone 911) comprise a userinterface circuitry for managing user input. The MCU 903 runs a userinterface software to facilitate user control of at least some functionsof the mobile terminal 901 to provide service guide transformations. TheMCU 903 also delivers a display command and a switch command to thedisplay 907 and to the speech output switching controller, respectively.Further, the MCU 903 exchanges information with the DSP 905 and canaccess an optionally incorporated SIM card 949 and a memory 951. Inaddition, the MCU 903 executes various control functions required of theterminal. The DSP 905 may, depending upon the implementation, performany of a variety of conventional digital processing functions on thevoice signals. Additionally, DSP 905 determines the background noiselevel of the local environment from the signals detected by microphone911 and sets the gain of microphone 911 to a level selected tocompensate for the natural tendency of the user of the mobile terminal901.

The CODEC 913 includes the ADC 923 and DAC 943. The memory 951 storesvarious data including call incoming tone data and is capable of storingother data including music data received via, e.g., the global Internet.The software module could reside in RAM memory, flash memory, registers,or any other form of writable storage medium known in the art. Thememory device 951 may be, but not limited to, a single memory, CD, DVD,ROM, RAM, EEPROM, optical storage, or any other non-volatile storagemedium capable of storing digital data.

An optionally incorporated SIM card 949 carries, for instance, importantinformation, such as the cellular phone number, the carrier supplyingservice, subscription details, and security information. The SIM card949 serves primarily to identify the mobile terminal 901 on a radionetwork. The card 949 also contains a memory for storing a personaltelephone number registry, text messages, and user specific mobileterminal settings.

While the invention has been described in connection with a number ofembodiments and implementations, the invention is not so limited butcovers various obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements, whichfall within the purview of the appended claims. Although features of theinvention are expressed in certain combinations among the claims, it iscontemplated that these features can be arranged in any combination andorder.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of providing a customized electronicservice guide at a device, comprising: receiving a service guidefragment at the device; based on information included in an assistanceidentifier, detecting a tag in the service guide fragment wherein thetag points to a local document on the device, the local documentidentifying transformation of service guide fragments into a userviewable format according to one or more user preferences configurableat the device; determining a transformation for one or more serviceguide fragments based, at least in part, on contents of the localdocument pointed to by the tag; transforming the one or more serviceguide fragments based, at least in part, on the transformation, into theuser viewable format; and outputting an electronic service guidecomprising the transformed service guide fragments at the device.
 2. Amethod of claim 1, further comprising: determining one or more otherservice guide fragments to process.
 3. A method of claim 1, wherein thetag points to an Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT),and wherein the service guide fragment is eXtensible Markup Language(XML)-based.
 4. A method of claim 1, further comprising: causing, atleast in part, a control of a presentation format associated with theprocessed service guide fragment among one or more presentation formatsbased, at least in part, on the transformation type.
 5. A method ofclaim 1, wherein the tag is an href attribute of the service guidefragment, the href attribute pointing to the local document.
 6. Anapparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memoryincluding computer program code for one or more programs, the at leastone memory and the computer program code configured to, with the atleast one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least thefollowing, receive a service guide fragment wherein a tag points to alocal document on the apparatus, the local document identifying atransformation of service guide fragments into a user viewable formataccording to one or more user preferences configurable at the apparatus;based on information included in an assistance identifier, detect thetag in the service guide fragment; determine a transformation for onceor more service guide fragments based, at least in part, on contents ofthe local document pointed to by the tag; transform the one or moreservice guide fragments based, at least in part, on the transformation,into the user viewable format; and output an electronic service guidecomprising the transformed service guide fragments at the apparatus. 7.An apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:determine one or more other service guide fragments to process.
 8. Anapparatus of claim 6, wherein the tag points to an Extensible StylesheetLanguage Transformation (XSLT), and wherein the service guide fragmentis eXtensible Markup Language (XML)-based.
 9. An apparatus of claim 6,wherein the at least one memory, the computer program code and theprocessor are further configured to cause the apparatus to: control apresentation format of the transformed service guide fragment among oneor more presentation formats based, at least in part, on thetransformation type.
 10. An apparatus of claim 6, wherein the tag is anhref attribute of the service guide fragment, the href attributepointing to the local document.
 11. A device comprising: a receiver forreceiving a service guide fragment; and a processor configured toexecute a computer program stored in a memory to: detect, based oninformation included in an assistance identifier, a tag in the serviceguide fragment, wherein the tag points to a local document on thedevice, the local document identifying a transformation that can be usedto transform service guide fragments into a viewable format according toone or more user preferences configurable at the device, transform oneor more service guide fragments based at least in part on thetransformation into the viewable format, and output an electronicservice guide comprising the transformed service guide fragments to adisplay on the device.
 12. A device according to claim 11, wherein thetransformation type is Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation(XSLT), and wherein the service guide fragment is eXtensible MarkupLanguage (XML)-based.
 13. A device according to claim 11, wherein thetag is an href attribute of the service guide fragment, the hrefattribute pointing to the document within the device.